Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 12:03 pm

That is certainly cool and very well done.

Now, I apologize for taking this in a direction the OP didn't intend, but this was one of my biggest problems with the special -- can someone explain WHY this regeneration occurred? It seems so arbitrary and needless to me. I mean, I get that it had to happen in order to explain where 9 came from, but ... "Oh, yes, of course. Wearing a bit thin!" Really? That's it? It feels like a regeneration without purpose and that it happened "just because." Am I off base with this? Please help me understand!

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 12:15 pm

I think it was just to prevent the fans from having ANOTHER regen we don't get to see, and cement the War Doctor's place in history. There were already people wondering if there was another Doctor in-between because they didn't catch it was supposed to be Eccelston he was regenerating into! The "wearing a bit thin" bit is the same thing that happened to the first Doctor, so there's also a nice 50th Anniversary note, there.

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 1:32 pm

Thanks, Wes. But one more issue -- when the 1st Doctor regenerated, the "Wearing a bit thin" was accompanied by a very compromised physical state; it FELT as though the regeneration was inevitable and necessary. In contrast, the War Doctor was kinda like, "Hmm, I guess it's time to regenerate! How do you like that?" while just standing there.

I think the crux of my problem is that there wasn't enough of an emotional build up or impact to it. it felt flat, arbitrary, and, honestly, a bit disingenuous.

But this could just be a case of my looking for a problem. Maybe I'm a drama queen who needed that moment to be more "dramatic," lol.

GuestGuest

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:08 pm

He was 'created' to fight the time war, and once it was over so was his regeneration. After all, the reflection in Night of the Doctor showed him as young and vibrant. The adventure we saw him in he was old and worn out.

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:11 pm

canonball wrote:

Thanks, Wes. But one more issue -- when the 1st Doctor regenerated, the "Wearing a bit thin" was accompanied by a very compromised physical state; it FELT as though the regeneration was inevitable and necessary. In contrast, the War Doctor was kinda like, "Hmm, I guess it's time to regenerate! How do you like that?" while just standing there.

I think the crux of my problem is that there wasn't enough of an emotional build up or impact to it. it felt flat, arbitrary, and, honestly, a bit disingenuous.

But this could just be a case of my looking for a problem. Maybe I'm a drama queen who needed that moment to be more "dramatic," lol.

CB, to me it made perfect sense if you watched the short "Night of the Doctor". Of course, this is my interpretation of events and I'd love to hear what other folks think. I'm not sure if you saw "Night of the Doctor" so if you didn't, watch it on YouTube before I spoil it for you

Spoiler space

OK, then. My interpretation is that since the Sisterhood of Karn brought him back to life, and then forced a regeneration with their potion that altered him into a "warrior", he was in what could be considered an unnatural state. The Doctor is not a warrior; the state he was in allowed him to be aggressive and warlike and from assumption act very much unlike himself as need be to be directly involved with the Time War..

Once the Time War ended, and he had definitely aged quite a bit; his body recognized it was time to "heal" and restore the Doctor back to his natural state. One thing I love is that unlike every other regeneration, the Doctor is smiling and seems to be experiencing...perhaps joy...at the prospect of becoming himself again.

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:12 pm

Lurker wrote:

He was 'created' to fight the time war, and once it was over so was his regeneration. After all, the reflection in Night of the Doctor showed him as young and vibrant. The adventure we saw him in he was old and worn out.

It was his time.

LOL...good summation Lurker. You beat me to it; mine was a bit more long winded.

Subject: Re: A few seconds make all the difference.... Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:34 pm

Beautifully put, Gene. I hadn't really considered his smile like that. Thank you, that makes the regen all the more awesome!

Anyway, I do wish we'd seen Eccey fully. It would have been nice for him to be in the actual episode and to see his first moments as the Doctor. I'd like to think that just before his memory was wiped of the events of 'Day of the Doctor', the 9th Doctor knew he'd saved Gallifrey and wasn't so sad, depressed and angry as he was when he thought he'd killed everyone. I'm glad that we got to see at least a little bit of Eccey's face in the actual episode though. The most we got to see is currently my avatar.

I wonder how this would connect to 'Rose', too. Would it be straight after the regeneration or a little while after? In 'Rose' when the 9th Doc is in Rose's flat, he looks in the mirror and says something about "Hmm, could have been worse! " suggesting he'd just regenerated. Series 1 always seemed like it was set so long after the Time War, but actually it seems it's set straight after this regeneration scene.